The Playboy Philosophy

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In December of 1962, nine years after Playboy Magazine first hit the newsstands, Hugh Hefner articulated his case for sexual freedom in a series of long-form articles that would later be known by the magazine’s initial, eponymous editorial, “The Playboy Philosophy.”

Although it was originally intended as an overdue riposte to the magazine’s morality critics and was slated to be confined to a single issue, “The Playboy Philosophy” appeared in every Playboy Magazine for the next two and a half years. Each of Hefner’s essays outlined the magazine’s—and the publisher’s—take on such hard-hitting topics as theology scholarship, the United States Bill of Rights and how it interfered with sexual mores, freedom of speech and press, the Hebrew Bible’s views on sexuality, Western laws on indecency and much more.

“The Playboy Philosophy” caused an unexpected sensation on college campuses, in popular media and in imaginations around the world. With “The Playboy Philosophy,” Hef built his case for the sexual revolution that would become commonplace by the second half of the decade.

Celebrate 60 years of sexual freedom with Playboy Magazine. Read all 18 installments of Hugh Hefner’s “Playboy Philosophy” only on Playboy.com.